Mohamed Abdel-Ghany
Vice Chair ITU-R SG5
ITU-R Study Group 5 (SG 5) is the group mandated by the ITU Radio Assembly for handling the technical studies for systems and networks operating under the fixed, mobile, radiodetermination, amateur and amateur-satellite services within Radiocommunications sector. SG5, as well as other ITU-R study groups, is formulated by Radio Assembly decisions, and inherit its responsibilities from ITU Convention. Within its scope, SG 5 carries out studies and adopts Recommendations and Questions, as well as approves Decisions, Reports, Opinions and Handbooks. Study Group 5 can also study topics identified in resolutions and recommendations of world radiocommunication conferences.
As Study Group 5 is the lead group for terrestrial networks and systems in ITU-R in addition to amateur-satellite services systems development (except for terrestrial Broadcasting issues that are handled separately in Study Group 6), it is composed of four working parties, namely these working parties are:
- Working Party 5A (WP 5A) handling systems and networks issues related to Land mobile service above 30 MHz (excluding IMT), wireless access in the fixed service and amateur and amateur-satellite services.
- Working Party 5B (WP 5B) handling systems and networks issues related to Maritime mobile service including Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS), aeronautical mobile service and radiodetermination service.
- Working Party 5C (WP 5C) handling systems and networks issues related to Fixed wireless systems, HF and other systems below 30 MHz in the fixed and land mobile services.
- Working Party 5D (WP 5D) handling systems and networks issues related to IMT Systems.
These working parties are tasked to carry out the detailed technical and regulatory studies for various systems and networks to produce the required draft documents. Not to mention that the Working Parties are also tasked to develop the draft CPM text for a number of WRC Agenda Items in addition to the regular ITU-R documents development activities.
SG 5 usually convenes 2 to 3 time a year following its working parties block meetings to adopt the draft documents after being prepared by the responsible working parties. Usually, SG 5 block meeting are being held in ITU headquarters in Geneva, except for Working Party 5D that holds its meetings in different places at the kind invitation of the Member States, which contributes to wider participation and global spread of the ITU‑R activity.
The ITU-R Study Groups meetings work is driven by contributions from Radiocommunication sector membership, this means that SG 5’s work is also driven by ITU-R members (Member states, Industry, Academia, …) submitting their contributions and providing material and information required to develop the preliminary draft output documents. It’s on the shoulders of the SG 5 steering (SG 5 chair and vice-chairs, working parties’ chairs and vice-chairs) to organize meetings’ schedule and put the adopted work plans into effect in order to progress the work of meetings throughout the study cycle, and guide the meetings proceedings to build up the required consensus for fruitful outcomes and successful development of the draft output documents for SG 5 adoption.
The current study cycle for Study Group 5 has already started following the last Radio Assembly meeting in October 2019, SG 5 working parties now are tasked to finish tremendous amount of work in the coming 4 years to carry out the required studies to finish developing the corresponding documents.
Working Party 5A previous study cycle has successfully accommodated recent technology development of the land mobile technologies and applications. like: cognitive radio systems (CRS), intelligent transport systems (ITS), broadband wireless access (BWA) systems, multiple gigabit wireless systems (MGWS) and Railway Radio systems between Train and Trackside (RSTT). The outcomes of these study cycle have resulted in a number of new or revised Recommendations, as well as Reports. Now, Working Party 5A will continue its tasks in accommodating technology developments in new areas like Connected Automated Vehicles (CAV), Utility Communication Systems, as well as developing CPM text for the WRC-23 Agenda Items 1.3, 9.1 topic b and 9.1 topic c.
Working Party 5B is tasked for development and maintenance of Recommendations that enable protection for distress and safety applications, while allowing sharing spectrum resources with other services operating within the allocated bands, it continuously carries out activities to accommodate recent development the areas of radiodetermination, aeronautical mobile and maritime mobile services to facilitate utilization of these services. WP 5B’s work is very important to facilitate global maritime and aeronautical activities, therefore WP 5A maintains close cooperative efforts with other United Nations’ Specialized Operating Agencies such as the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), International Maritime Organization (IMO) and World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
Recent activities of WP 5B included conducting aeronautical studies to develop new Recommendations dealing with the technical characteristics and protection criteria for aeronautical mobile service systems in various frequency bands such as 22.5-23.6 GHz and 25.25-27.5 GHz, 45.5-47 GHz and within the 4 400-4 990 MHz frequency range, respectively. WP 5B will continue its mandate to facilitate development of maritime and aeronautical systems, as well as developing CPM text for the WRC-23 Agenda Items: 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, 1.10 and 1.11.
Working Party 5C previous study cycle had accommodated many of the recent technology development in Fixed wireless systems like point-to-point applications operating in the 71-76 GHz and 81-86 GHz bands, automotive radar applications in the 76-81 GHz bands, the technical and operational characteristics, applications of the point-to-point fixed service applications operating in the frequency band 275-450 GHz, and spectrum needs of HAPS broadband links. WP 5C will continue development of recommendations for fixed wireless systems especially those systems in spectrum higher than 86 GHz like W-Band and D-Band fixed systems, as well as developing CPM text for the WRC-23 Agenda Item 9.1 topic c jointly with WP 5A.
Lastly, Working Party 5D previous study cycle had accommodated many issues related to the development of IMT, and during this study period addressed technology, spectrum and other aspects related to IMT including the continued expansion of use case being supported by both narrow and broadband IMT for the expanding global applications in telecommunications, entertainment and IoT, the development of IMT-2020 in support of 5G, the evolution of IMT-Advanced and necessary technical and spectrum work. Following WRC-19 decisions for additional spectrum bands for IMT-2020 (5G), the current study cycle for WP 5D carries as usual many important objectives to accommodate fast technological development in IMT, these objective include developing required frequency arrangements – Revision of Recommendation ITU-R M.1036, developing IMT parameters for WRC-23 sharing studies, draft new report for IMT AAS antenna pattern modelling, draft new Recommendation ITU-R M.[IMT-2020.SPECS] based on IMT-2020 candidate technologies evaluation under the key technical criteria of the IMT-2020 Vision and global 5G, as well as developing CPM text for the WRC-23 Agenda Items 1.1, 1.2 and 1.4.
M. Abdelghany holds the position of the Radio Spectrum Procurement Director at the National Telecom Regulatory Authority of Egypt (NTRA).
Under his position, Mr. Abdelghany is responsible for Egypt’s radio spectrum supply through national radio spectrum plan and regulations. On the international level, he has developed several technical studies and international contributions and held more than one position as the coordinator for the views of the Egyptian administration, the Arab Spectrum Management Group (ASMG) and the African Telecommunication Union (ATU) regarding the agenda items of World Radio conferences since 2007 till now.
Mr. Abdelghany has more than 16 years of experience in the field of telecommunications and information technology, management and regulation of the frequency spectrum both nationally and internationally, he is an expert in spectrum management methodologies and the International Radio Regulations, frequency spectrum engineering and wireless communication technologies.
He received the Best Research Paper Award from the Second ITS Regional Conference for the Middle East and North Africa in 2019.
Currently, he holds the position of Vice President of Study Group 5 in the Radiocommunication Sector of the International Telecommunication Union.Mr. Abdelghany holds a Master of Engineering degree in Electronics and Communications from Cairo University in 2018, B.Sc. in Electronics and Communications Engineering from the Faculty of Engineering – Ain Shams University in 2003.